In known indexers such as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,600,960, 2,754,700, 2,883,886, 3,035,461, and 3,439,458 an indexing member is rotatably supported in a housing and has thereon an index plate or ratchel wheel with which an index pin in the housing is engaged to lock the indexing member in selected indexed positions, torque and radial loads on the indexing member respectively being imposed on the index pin and on the housing-indexing member bearings. To relieve the index pin of torque load as aforesaid it has been proposed, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,793,866 and 3,113,474, to provide a two-part brake which is engaged around a cylindrical portion of the indexing member. To relieve both torque load on the index pin and radial load on the bearings between the housing and indexing member it has been proposed to employ a disc-type brake which is axially flexed and frictionally clamped between the housing and a hydraulically actuated ring as disclosed, for example, in the pending application of Milton L. Benjamin and David D. Walker, Ser. No. 484,767, filed July 1, 1974.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,579, for example, to provide an indexer in which the indexing member is indexed through a worm drive between the index plate (or ratchet wheel) and the spindle of the indexing member, such worm drive being self-locking thus to obviate the necessity of providing an index pin of the character above indicated. However, torque load on the indexing member is transmitted to the teeth of the worm drive and radial load on the indexing member is transmitted to the housing-indexing member bearings.